Celebrate all things oyster October 29 in St. Michaels

 Get ready to celebrate the Bay’s favorite bivalve at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s OysterFest on Saturday, Oct. 29.

 

Running 10am-4 pm, CBMM’s OysterFest features oysters served a variety of ways, along with other local fare, craft beer, and spirits, plus live music, an oyster stew competition, a full schedule of oyster-themed demonstrations and presentations, children’s activities, and more.

 

At the rain or shine event, festivalgoers can savor Chesapeake Bay oysters, with both raw and cooked options available, from the Talbot Watermen Association and other local oyster farms. There will also be a variety of Chesapeake delicacies and other food offerings via local vendors available for purchase, plus a beverage selection that includes specialty cocktails featuring Windon Distilling Lyon Rum, Chesapeake-style Bloody Marys featuring George’s Beverage Company mix, and an array of local craft beer options.

 

The always-popular oyster stew competition begins at 11am and invites guests to sample offerings from various local restaurants and vote for their favorite, while the American Chesapeake Club will be on hand to discuss Maryland’s official dog, the Chesapeake Bay retriever, and showcase its retrieving ability.

 

One Hundred Shores project is offering a unique workshop that allows guests to connect with the Bay’s water from 100 different locations across the Chesapeake estuary in a dyeing process to create shirts which illustrate a map of the watershed itself. Registration is available now at bit.ly/OysterFestOneHundredShores.

 

In its fourth OysterFest appearance, Maryland-based Swamp Donkey Newgrass will be playing the Tolchester Beach Bandstand all day long, delivering an exciting combination of original songs and unique covers that span many genres in a style they have made all their own. 

Throughout the day, Van Lennep Auditorium will host a variety of guest speakers and oyster-related presentations sponsored by the Upper Shore Regional Folklife Center, starting at 11am with a cooking demonstration from Executive Chef Gregory James from Stars Restaurant at the Inn at Perry Cabin.

 

At 12:45pm, Bivalve Trail podcast host Lexi Hubb will offer a presentation on Thomas Downing, a Black American born free on Virginia’s Eastern Shore who helped make New York City the Oyster Capital of the world in the mid-1800s. Later, Hubb and co-host Bill Troxler will describe how they created the narrative, music and soundscape for Downing’s story, illustrating time periods, settings, and emotions without visual cues. 

 As part of CBMM’s partnership with The Great Maryland Recipe Hunt, food historian Joyce White will offer a culinary history of Chesapeake Bay oysters, beginning at 1:30pm. The foodways documentation project, One Hundred Shores, and the Bivalve Trail programming are presented by the Regional Folklife Center through the Maryland Traditions Program of the Maryland State Arts Council. 

Family activities include Chesapeake-themed games, activities, and demonstrations, and a chance to build a take-home model boat.

 

Guests will also be able to explore CBMM’s exhibitions, including Oystering on the Chesapeake and Waterman’s Wharf, where they can try tonging or nippering for oysters.

 

They’re also invited to participate in an oyster slurp-off contest, tour one of the visiting Chesapeake Bay buyboats and vessels within CBMM’s historic floating fleet, watch an antique diving demonstration, and visit the Phillips Wharf Fishmobile.

 

This year, OysterFest is generously sponsored by Glenmede and Patriot Cruises and supported by What’s Up Media, Eastern Shore Tents & Events, Windon Distilling, George's Beverage Company, and Kelly Distributors.

 

OysterFest admission is $6 for CBMM member adults and active members of the military (with ID); $18 for non-member adults; $15 for seniors (age 65 and up), college students and retired military (both with ID); $6 for non-member children ages 6–17; and free for member children 6–17, and all children 5 and under. CBMM members at the Family & Friends level and above can also receive the $6 discounted admission for two adult guests.

 

Food and drinks are available for an additional cost, with carry-on alcohol prohibited. Proceeds from the event support CBMM’s education, restoration, and exhibition programs.

 

For safety reasons, non-service dogs need to be kept home during CBMM festivals, including OysterFest. Carry-on alcohol from dock or land is prohibited.

 

Purchase your tickets in advance now and learn more at cbmm.org/oysterfest.

Sip, slurp, and savor at October 27 OysterFest in St. Michaels

Get ready to sip, slurp, and savor at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s OysterFest, taking place on Saturday, Oct. 27, in St. Michaels, Md.

Special to this year’s festival will be the re-launch of the 1889 bugeye Edna E. Lockwood, whose nine-log hull has been restored by CBMM shipwrights and apprentices over the past two years. Edna Lockwood is the queen of CBMM’s floating fleet of historic boats and a National Historic Landmark. She will return to the Chesapeake Bay following a brief ceremony at 3pm, making her way back on the Miles River down CBMM’s marine railway.

 

CBMM’s OysterFest features oysters served a variety of ways, along with other local fare, craft beer, and spirits; live music on two stages, including a return performance by Swamp Donkey Newgrass; scenic river cruises aboard Winnie Estelle; an oyster stew competition; cooking presentations; Chesapeake Bay retriever and oystering demonstrations; children’s activities, and more.

Festival-goers can savor Chesapeake Bay wild and aquaculture oysters served steamed or raw, plus oyster fritters, crab cakes, fried shrimp, clam strips, pit beef, pit turkey, and pulled pork, among other offerings. Lyon Distilling Company will serve a specialty rum cocktail, with other drink options including oyster shooters and Chesapeake-style Bloody Marys, featuring George’s Bloody Mary mix. Sweets and treats include ice cream, funnel cakes, kettle , and more.

Local chefs will offer cooking demonstrations of signature oyster dishes throughout the day. Beginning at 11am, attendees can vote for their favorite oyster stew in a competition among local restaurants and chefs. Participation is limited to 500 people on a first-come, first-served basis, with a commemorative OysterFest mug and the tastings offered for $10.

This blind taste test awards bragging rights to the chef with the most votes, with the People’s Choice winner announced at the festival and later to the public. Last year’s People’s Choice award went to Sunflowers & Greens of Easton, Md., who will be returning for this year’s stew competition.

Family activities include Chesapeake-themed games, activities, and demonstrations; a scavenger hunt; face painting; and a chance to build a take-home model boat for $3. The Chesapeake Bay Retriever Relief and Rescue club will also present retriever demonstrations on CBMM’s Navy Point.

   

Guests will also be able to explore CBMM’s exhibitions, including Oystering on the Chesapeake and Waterman’s Wharf, where they can try tonging or nippering for oysters. A spirited oyster slurping contest has competitions taking place on the hour from 1–3pm.  

OysterFest sponsors include Patriot Cruises of St. Michaels, Md.; Choptank Electric Cooperative; Ewing, Dietz, Fountain & Kaludis; Hummingbird Inn of Easton; and the Maryland State Arts Council. 

OysterFest admission is $5 for CBMM adult members, or $18 for non-member adults; $15 for seniors and students with ID; and $6 for children ages 6 to 17. CBMM members at the Family & Friends level and above also receive the $5 discounted admission for two adult guests. Food, drinks, and boat rides are an additional cost, with carry-on alcohol prohibited. For safety reasons, non-service dogs need to be kept home during CBMM festivals, with leashed dogs permitted during regular operating hours.

Proceeds from the event support CBMM’s education, restoration, and exhibition programs, with advanced tickets and more information at cbmm.org/oysterfest.